This is a great example of a phenomenon I was referring to in another thread where the theist attempts to achieve parity in a world where reason is respected and given a prominent place in the education system, but faith is not, as in the States, where evolution but not creationism is taught in the public schools. He does this with a two-pronged approach described in that thread:
- "One does this by boosting faith by giving it the veneer of science ('you have no evidence, that's mathematically and statistically impossible'), and simultaneously demoting science to just another religion and form of faith ('that's your religion, you believe in miracles'). 'I don't have enough faith to believe that' combines them by implying that the theist needs something substantial before believing what the humanist has accepted by faith."
Congratulations. You got both into one post as well, and threw in some condescension to boot. Here you are posturing as the reasonable one preaching to the poor, deluded religious fundamentalist. Sorry, but YOU wear the mantle of faith, and HE is the critical thinker - not the other way around.
This is from Amanda Marcotte:
- "I always flinch in embarrassment for the believer who trots out, 'Atheism is just another kind of faith,' because it's a tacit admission that taking claims on faith is a silly thing to do. When you've succumbed to arguing that the opposition is just as misguided as you are, it's time to take a step back and rethink your attitudes."
And there it is again, whatever you mean by believer. Yes, skeptics have beliefs such as the one I just outlined regarding the two-pronged attempt at religious parity, but are not normally called believers. Your juxtaposition of the term in a sentence distinguishing believers from skeptics confirms that you mean non-skeptical believers, like you and other faith-based thinkers.
Writing reality check posts like this one is a good reason for the unbeliever to be present in a venue where theists are posting. Actually, it's much of the reason for the rise of atheism in the age of the Internet. For centuries, theists have been marginalizing demonizing atheists without much of a rebuttal. Skeptics have a voice at last, and as you can see, are not afraid to use it to correct the false claims of theists about atheists and atheism.